1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to trash/garbage containers and, more particularly, to those intended for use with removable liners, specifically those made of plastic for resistance to water, fatty liquids and other liquids often present in household refuse.
2. Prior Art
Lined containers of the household type have long been known, but two constant problems have been the need to provide close fit of the liner to the container walls so as to assure entry of refuse solely within the liner and also to prevent the inserted liner from slipping to the bottom of the container or onto the contents therein when one is dropping material into a lined container. None of the previously-known containers solved these problems efficiently--often requiring complex, costly, multi-part holding or clamping structures or being difficult to use even if simplified.
As examples of relevant art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,150 (issued July 23, 1974 to W. Taylor) shows a molded waste receptacle having integral tabs formed in its side walls, the tabs being pressed inwardly to engage a rolled-over edge of a liner bag and pinch it against the receptacle wall when pressing is ended. Simultaneous manipulation of both a tab and the edge requires some dexterity, and furthermore, occurrence of gaps between the liner bag and the wall is not prevented, allowing waste disposal to occur between liner and receptacle.
Next, U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,916 (issued Jan. 4, 1983 to J. Guido et al) shows a packing box for bulk quantities of flexible bags with carrying handles, the box being convertible into a packing unit for the bags, because of provision of pre-perforated front panel and side flaps, the latter folding upward to provide tabs upon which the bag handles are received. Control of gaps between bag and container is not provided and the box is not a leak-proof unit because of the pre-perforations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,835 (issued Dec. 6, 1983 to A. Watts) shows a pair of wire brackets, each bracket supporting the handle of a liner bag and being fastened in spaced relation to the interior of a respective wall of a trash container. The spacing is necessary for accommodating the user's fingers while inserting and removing the bag, even though such spacing undesirably allows waste disposal to occur between bag and container. Furthermore, if the bag is overfilled, these internally-disposed brackets can present a barrier to easy removal of the liner even though the bag's handles are readily grasped.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,652 (Feb. 12, 1985 to J. Malik) shows a wire rack for just suspending a plastic bag by its handle loops in an open-mouthed state of the bag, a protective wall being present on one side only (the rack being fastened to a cabinet door on that side).
Accordingly, there is need for a trash/garbage container in which liner support is provided in a simple, low-cost, easily-usable fashion, while eliminating gaps between the liner and the container walls that allow undesirable disposal outside the confines of the liner.